England batting 'a sin' says Trott

Jonathan Trott has described England's batting during the first innings in the Galle Test as "a sin" but has struggled to pin down a reason why a batting line-up that was so prolific only a few months ago is now consistently faltering.

England, who must now win in Colombo to draw the series, were bowled out for 192 in 46.4 overs to concede a crucial first-innings advantage of 125 to Sri Lanka as their batting failed for the fourth time in a row.

Criticised for being too defensive at times during the series against Pakistan in the UAE, this time the strokes of some England batsmen in Galle bordered on the reckless as they continued to struggle to find a suitable tempo for batting in Asia.

It has been a rapid fall from grace for a batting line-up that had become accustomed to making 500-plus regularly while the individual batsmen were gaining a reputation for the 'daddy' hundreds that Graham Gooch used to have cause to talk about. From the start of the 2010-11 Ashes to end of the home series against India last summer they had scored six double hundreds and another four scores in excess of 150.

By comparison in 2012, Trott's 112 in the second innings in Galle was England's first hundred of the year. "We've lost a lot of wickets in clusters," Trott said. "In the past if we've lost two early wickets then guys have been able to steady the ship and we've been able to get through sessions pretty unscathed.

"But we've had bad sessions with the bat and getting bowled out in 40-odd overs was a bit of a sin. The wicket was pretty good and we should have capitalised. It's no lack of effort on any par, it just hasn't worked out for us."

Defeat meant that Trott was not able to savour his hundred - one of the finest of his career - despite him showing England that run-scoring was possible with patience and shrewd shot selection.

"To get a hundred is satisfying, but to get one and win always makes it sweeter," he said. "I was pleased by how I felt, I wasn't all that tired at the end of the innings, I just wish I could have batted a bit more. If I'd have got 140, 150 who knows what might have happened."

And, according to Trott, there was no magic formula to his success. "I just played normally. I didn't try going in with any pre-conceived conceptions. I had a bit of luck early on and rode it. You certainly need a bit of luck in these conditions with a lot of catchers round the bat... you need the ball to bounce in the right areas."

Trott also took a swipe at the media for, as he saw it, fuelling an unnecessary debate about Andrew Strauss' position in the team. Strauss has averaged 25.50 since the start of the previous home season and has just two hundreds since July 2009.

"When someone is not scoring as may runs as they would like or expect of themselves it is highlighted by you guys [the media]. I'm sure it will have a similar impact as it did when Alastair Cook came through his little slump. I'm surprised you guys haven't learned from that."

Steven Finn, Strauss' Middlesex teammate, hoping for a place in England's attack in the second Test, was equally supportive on BBC Radio 5 Live's Sportsweek programme.

"I don't think there's any question that he won't be in charge throughout the summer and beyond," he said. "He's a great captain, everyone here's backing him and this is something that just hasn't come up within the team because no one in the team believes it's valid. Straussy will score runs and that's that."

"Straussy leads from the front. He's an exceptional leader, he's a levelling person. When we have our highs we don't ride them too high and when we have our lows we don't ride them too low. And that's what a great captain does, I think."

@yorkshirematt: If you don't think the rankings are good enough to determine who's good and who's not, how would you decide the top four to play in the mini league? I know these scenarios are unlikely at the moment, but what If the top four teams were England, SA, Oz & NZ or Pak, Ind, SL & Bang. Then the games would all be played in "similar conditions" and the "other fans" would cry out.

Phil
on April 3, 2012, 9:32 GMT

@indianzen (April 02 2012, 05:12 AM GMT): Then Pak & SL beating England is no victory as England are out of form.

John
on April 3, 2012, 8:04 GMT

@NaniIndCri on (April 02 2012, 13:29 PM GMT) re "Indians gracefully agree that we were outplayed in Aus and Eng" - That is totally untrue re England. Even now on this thread alone please check out comms by indianzen on (April 02 2012, 05:12 AM GMT) and the multitude of grudgeful comms on this thread and the multitude of regular posters who basically use our threads for England hate therapy. PS no disrespect meant to Satish , David Gravitas , Candid Indian and others who are just cricket lovers who post honest views

John
on April 3, 2012, 8:03 GMT

@Harmony111 - I'm not going to argue with you any more.I mention India's form in a vain attempt to quieten you down and it's obviously having an adverse affect.I actually could not care less if India win or lose or what happens although I did actually go on one of the Aus/Ind threads to empathise with Indian fans for their selectors turning a blind eye to certain probs - just like our selectors do now.At the end of the day all the stats you quote are history just as I hate to admit is our test form as it stands.BTW you say"Even here you seem to give far too much imp to India's failure to reach the finals but seem to give little or no imp to England loss to the team that did not win the CB series AND lost 3-0 in Asia Cup" (Pot,kettle,black as it's you coming on our boards to slate our team) - Actually if you've read our threads you will see that I have probably been our biggest critic.Also are ODI's important? If so we beat Pak 4-0 in UAE.If not then your 5-0 thrashing means little

John
on April 2, 2012, 22:37 GMT

@G.Sri on (April 02 2012, 13:31 PM GMT) PS Probably pretty impossible for Eng or Aus to beat Ind 5-0 as there were only 4 teats in the series

Mark
on April 2, 2012, 22:11 GMT

Good luck Herath get another 10 wickets in Colombo and deservedly win the series 2-0. We would like to see Sri Lankan cricket too well again and build for the future. Good Luck Sri Lanka. All the best!

John
on April 2, 2012, 18:53 GMT

@Meety on (April 02 2012, 11:56 AM GMT) Well maybe I'm not on those threads when these folk post. I've seen some of our regulars on there but not posting rubbish. Yes that name rings a bell and I have tried to pull him a few times (on our threads) to be more respectful - as I do any English fan who I feel is trying to provoke situations , but I honestly have not seen the rubbish on other countries' threads from Eng fans when I've been on. Maybe I ought to read through other countries threads more often to see for myself.

John
on April 2, 2012, 18:52 GMT

@G.Sri on (April 02 2012, 13:31 PM GMT) That was last decade - how long ago exactly? What has that got to do with now?

John
on April 2, 2012, 18:52 GMT

@Harmony111 re Ind batsmen setting records vs Eng bowlers - Is that the same batsmen who have been winning you tests in Australia and helping you qualify for finals in 3 or 4 team OD tournaments?re "And the team that you so proudly boast of beating 4-0 in the ODIs" . Actually NO , I said at the time that it was a step in the right direction but not boasting - that's not me. And I didn't boast about the ODI series win in UAE either 1- because Pak had won the more important series and 2 - Because their fans were by and large a model of respect. Oh and you say "I wonder if England are good enough to defeat Ireland or Afghanistan the way they are playing currently" and this is from a fan of a side who can't even make a final in 3/4 team tournaments and who aren't even making test opposition bat twice half the time.

j
on April 2, 2012, 18:50 GMT

Every team goes through bad slumps, it's ever so funny to see Australian fans get all excited: Remember the ASHES?!!

Phil
on April 3, 2012, 9:41 GMT

@yorkshirematt: If you don't think the rankings are good enough to determine who's good and who's not, how would you decide the top four to play in the mini league? I know these scenarios are unlikely at the moment, but what If the top four teams were England, SA, Oz & NZ or Pak, Ind, SL & Bang. Then the games would all be played in "similar conditions" and the "other fans" would cry out.

Phil
on April 3, 2012, 9:32 GMT

@indianzen (April 02 2012, 05:12 AM GMT): Then Pak & SL beating England is no victory as England are out of form.

John
on April 3, 2012, 8:04 GMT

@NaniIndCri on (April 02 2012, 13:29 PM GMT) re "Indians gracefully agree that we were outplayed in Aus and Eng" - That is totally untrue re England. Even now on this thread alone please check out comms by indianzen on (April 02 2012, 05:12 AM GMT) and the multitude of grudgeful comms on this thread and the multitude of regular posters who basically use our threads for England hate therapy. PS no disrespect meant to Satish , David Gravitas , Candid Indian and others who are just cricket lovers who post honest views

John
on April 3, 2012, 8:03 GMT

@Harmony111 - I'm not going to argue with you any more.I mention India's form in a vain attempt to quieten you down and it's obviously having an adverse affect.I actually could not care less if India win or lose or what happens although I did actually go on one of the Aus/Ind threads to empathise with Indian fans for their selectors turning a blind eye to certain probs - just like our selectors do now.At the end of the day all the stats you quote are history just as I hate to admit is our test form as it stands.BTW you say"Even here you seem to give far too much imp to India's failure to reach the finals but seem to give little or no imp to England loss to the team that did not win the CB series AND lost 3-0 in Asia Cup" (Pot,kettle,black as it's you coming on our boards to slate our team) - Actually if you've read our threads you will see that I have probably been our biggest critic.Also are ODI's important? If so we beat Pak 4-0 in UAE.If not then your 5-0 thrashing means little

John
on April 2, 2012, 22:37 GMT

@G.Sri on (April 02 2012, 13:31 PM GMT) PS Probably pretty impossible for Eng or Aus to beat Ind 5-0 as there were only 4 teats in the series

Mark
on April 2, 2012, 22:11 GMT

Good luck Herath get another 10 wickets in Colombo and deservedly win the series 2-0. We would like to see Sri Lankan cricket too well again and build for the future. Good Luck Sri Lanka. All the best!

John
on April 2, 2012, 18:53 GMT

@Meety on (April 02 2012, 11:56 AM GMT) Well maybe I'm not on those threads when these folk post. I've seen some of our regulars on there but not posting rubbish. Yes that name rings a bell and I have tried to pull him a few times (on our threads) to be more respectful - as I do any English fan who I feel is trying to provoke situations , but I honestly have not seen the rubbish on other countries' threads from Eng fans when I've been on. Maybe I ought to read through other countries threads more often to see for myself.

John
on April 2, 2012, 18:52 GMT

@G.Sri on (April 02 2012, 13:31 PM GMT) That was last decade - how long ago exactly? What has that got to do with now?

John
on April 2, 2012, 18:52 GMT

@Harmony111 re Ind batsmen setting records vs Eng bowlers - Is that the same batsmen who have been winning you tests in Australia and helping you qualify for finals in 3 or 4 team OD tournaments?re "And the team that you so proudly boast of beating 4-0 in the ODIs" . Actually NO , I said at the time that it was a step in the right direction but not boasting - that's not me. And I didn't boast about the ODI series win in UAE either 1- because Pak had won the more important series and 2 - Because their fans were by and large a model of respect. Oh and you say "I wonder if England are good enough to defeat Ireland or Afghanistan the way they are playing currently" and this is from a fan of a side who can't even make a final in 3/4 team tournaments and who aren't even making test opposition bat twice half the time.

j
on April 2, 2012, 18:50 GMT

Every team goes through bad slumps, it's ever so funny to see Australian fans get all excited: Remember the ASHES?!!

Varnendra
on April 2, 2012, 18:34 GMT

Harmony111 you twist things well. You become a swamy!!!!!

Ryo
on April 2, 2012, 18:21 GMT

@g.narsimha: These are STATSGURUs overall historical records. Your stats which you're parading around are mere pick n mix stats which you take as you like. Pakistans overall historical Test record at home and away is far far better than Indias IF we go by stats alone. Also go and take a look at head to head records against each nation. Once again Pakistan has edge.

Valavan
on April 2, 2012, 18:10 GMT

@Bobmartin, i truly agree with what you say, we know our strength and we played as team to get to that test no.1 as per ICC table. @Harmony111, dont count the chickens before it is hatched, viru will make porridge out of England, ye ye could see the demoralised indian fan following coming and crowing and howling in topics or forums never related to them. Actually viru was pampered very well in England with King pair and followed in Oz. Harmony surely your attitude is as same as sehwag, who spoke about older wins when he was questioned about loosing adelaide test recently. Its not India beat SL, SL beat england, So India can beat England, no algebra here, Super worst strauss presented dhoni with a 4 - 0 whitewash, thats a feather and achievement for dhoni's and his fans big mouth. Dont count the chicken before it hatched, even India never able to force a whitewash against windies recently in India. Howlers and yawners go and howl in IPL 2012. cricinfo please publish.

Harmon
on April 2, 2012, 13:57 GMT

I am a bit ROTFL reading the somewhat bold front being presented by the few Eng fans who dare to come to Cricinfo forums. I have not seen much of Wombats. SirFreddie etc - the usual suspects. Deep down, every Eng fan knows that he is seeing his worst vision coming true. 3-0 to Pak, 1-0 down to SL and the massive challenge of going to India after two crushing series defeats looms large. Eng are on their way to be the most comical and bottomest #1 team ever, in fact across all sports. With a horrible team like this they are supposed to tour India. I bet we will see Indian batsmen putting some new batting records against the hapless English bowlers this time. That would complete the encirclement of England so to speak.

Harmon
on April 2, 2012, 13:51 GMT

@mikey76 :

Oh wow. What neat way of having double standards you've got. So for you Cook scoring 766 runs in ONE test series means he must have skill but at the same time the Indian batsmen who have got heaps and heaps of runs all over the world are overweight hubristic stars?? Ho ho ho. Bad is the way Strauss is batting for so long of late he is an easier bunny than Dhoni. Worse, Strauss is not a quarter of Dhoni in ODIs. Worst, Strauss has done nothing compared to Dhoni. Super worst, Strauss is 5 years older than Dhoni and doesn't look like improving much !!

And as far as saying what happened in this winter won't happen in the next cuts both ways. Indians would feel a lot more comfortable waiting for the worst ever and most comical #1 team ever to come to their den and get mauled. Forget about others, Viru alone would make a porridge of Eng this time. Just wait and count the days left in England's annus horribilis completion.

Bob
on April 2, 2012, 13:47 GMT

I do wish all these folks denigrating England would realise something... No English fan I know seriously considers England to be world champions. There is no such thing. At the moment England are top of a league table of test playing nations and that is it. That position will naturally depend not only England's performances, but that of the teams immediately below them. It's so fluid that I beleive England could have lost the top slot without playing a game if Sth Africa had beaten NZ 3-0. So we England supporters are not claiming to be the best team in the world, we're merely saying that we garnered sufficient points to get us to the top and indeed to remain there even after suffering 4 losses. India failed to have sufficient points in the bank to sustain 4 losses and consequently lost their top spot.. If England lose the next test v Sri Lanka, we will lose the top slot... That the way the system works.

Valavan
on April 2, 2012, 13:38 GMT

@Hindh88, win matters surely, England batting didnt click as a whole, but our bowlers did click, btw we never blew or became cocky as you were before English summer in 2011 and OZ summer in 2011. India just got annihilated in 8 tests, abject surrender, with both batters and bowlers grinded to dust, we lost last 4 tests, not humiliated as Dhoni and his men watching pathetically and then giving excuses , umpire, drs, D/L method, with this attitude India will ever win trophy until its played in India. cricinfo please publish.

Valavan
on April 2, 2012, 13:33 GMT

@jimmy2s. i regret, ye you are right. infact i forgot completely about 1st test. @hindh88, dont howl here, Your dhoni is a master of excuses, ye england will never achieve what dhoni achieved exactly 4 innings defeats, 8 - 0 white wash, lost to BD in recent Asia cup, we never claimed we are the greatest team like WI of 80s, so do India, not a great team. As Indian fans doesnt have anything but howling in forum not related to them, but ye Dhoni did loose 8 tests consecutively, so add that achievement in his list of achievements in last 4 years. @Sunil prasad, bottom line is same for India, India can only win in India. No Srilankan fan posy critics or Pakistan fans who decimated England recently, just India. excuses, excuses and excuses = MS Dhoni + BCCI. cricinfo please publish

Harmon
on April 2, 2012, 13:32 GMT

@JG2704:

And the team that you so proudly boast of beating 4-0 in the ODIs was taken to the cleaners by Indian batsmen and are 2-0 down against us in the last 12 months. Further, they could win the final by a margin of only 2 runs against Bangladesh. And we all know that Bangladesh have bragging rights over England since their WC win. In fact I wonder if England are good enough to defeat Ireland or Afghanistan the way they are playing currently. I bet someone in the Eng board is looking for more SA and Irish players to poach.

Srinivasan
on April 2, 2012, 13:31 GMT

@JG2704: At least India was not humiliated 5-0 by Aussies like your champion team home and away. Did you forget the beatings England got in last decade? Cricinfo publish

Tootu
on April 2, 2012, 13:29 GMT

@Valavan these are public forums and not reserved only for your comments, any cricket fan can use these. As per your India criticism, Indians gracefully agree that we were outplayed in Aus and Eng. But England are on the same boat, they are miserable in sub continent. Because India played bad does not mean England gets a pass with criticism. So when POMS can bash Indian team in the same forums, we are more than happy to give it back. Accept that England are overrated team and this criticism will not be as bad as you think.

Harmon
on April 2, 2012, 13:28 GMT

@JG2704:

My My. So now you are taking the crutches of 4-0 ODI win to support your claim of Eng being a top team? When Indians said that England 5-0 whipping last year showed them their place the likes you were asking us to keep the ODIs and Tests separate. Lol. Talking about the Asia Cup and the CB series: India were not out of any of the finals till the last match. In fact, one could argue that the CB series had no real winners. Oz lost to SL 4-3 SL lost to India 2-1 and it should have been 3-1 and India lost to Oz 3-1. Further, if you give so much imp to the fact that Eng defeated Pak who happened to win the Asia Cup where India could not qualify how do you digest the fact that Eng LOST to SL who had lost all their 3 matches in the Asia Cup and had lost to even Bangladesh (who had beaten you in last year's WC) and had finished in the bottom. Coming back to India vs Eng: India have already paid Eng back in the ODIs and will avenge the tests too in the next Eng tour.

Dummy4
on April 2, 2012, 13:20 GMT

@ragrant England have not been as good as the recent Australian side or the 80s WI side, but over the last few years all the other sides have been worse than England. Nobody queried the ranking system before England were No.1.

Ajay
on April 2, 2012, 13:13 GMT

@valavan dont talk about Dhoni , what Dhoni has won in last 4 years for India
England have not won in their entire cricketing history...

Ajay
on April 2, 2012, 13:12 GMT

@valavan England fans like you keep on saying India lost 0-8 in tests and so on
and discount the fact that the so called great team england have also lost 4 consecutive tests this is what indians are pointing out that whether you bowl out a team or not the result of the match matters and england reign at the top has been a
lot shorter than indian one.

michael
on April 2, 2012, 12:36 GMT

Gupta.Ankar. Your lack of cricket knowledge is offensive. So you're basically saying Alistair Cook scored 766 runs in the ashes without exibiting any skill??
The last time we toured India we drew the series and a journeyman spinner rolled you over for under 100. Don't get lulled into thinking what went on this winter is going to translate into the next one, you're overweight hubristic stars might just get a wake up call, you've seen what our bowlers can do on flat wickets. If the penny finally drops with the batsmen then you might just be surprised.

Senthil
on April 2, 2012, 12:36 GMT

"Straussy leads from the front. He's an exceptional leader, he's a levelling person" - says Trott. I reckon he's decided to level England after their high. Poms the best team in the world? Yes, indeed they were, for a short time. They are even now. Doesn't mean others cannot beat them. India of course had a longer run at the top. But this team being called the best English team ever - that's a holler and a hoot! Players for all conditions they said! What game were they talking about?

I
on April 2, 2012, 12:30 GMT

@Valavan Um, not to rain on your parade, but you're wrong. England did not take 80 wickets in their last 4 tests, they lost the first test against Pakistan by 10 wickets. It doesn't necessarily make your argument invalid, as England's bowling has not been the problem, but you've got your facts wrong.

Dummy4
on April 2, 2012, 12:18 GMT

@ragrant no, no1 accepted that. South africa are the real no1. They havent lost a series away 4rm home in 6 years. Thy need 2 overcome their mental aspect of the game n thy wl b fine.

Dummy4
on April 2, 2012, 12:10 GMT

A simple question. Why do we have to have the SAME team to play in all countries with different kind of pitches.Why can't we have different mix of players for different tours? I had been a fan of England's county cricket in the seventies and eighties. (I am not familiar with the standard of the current crop of players). They used to have players who can play pace bounce and swing well. They also had others who can play spin well. I can't remember the names, due to old age; but had seen English boys hitting spinners like Underwood out of the park. Even Jim Laker used to get hit by co- English players. For decades the English county set up helped cricketers from all over the world to become world class. Is it that difficult for England's selectors to zero in on separate mix of players for different set of oppopnents. For example, one set of players like KP, Bell etc to play against countries like Australia & SA and another mix to play against the sub-continental teams. Is it difficult?

Dummy4
on April 2, 2012, 12:04 GMT

England can win only in england...........thats the bottom line

Andrew
on April 2, 2012, 11:56 GMT

@JG2704 - you generally always attempt to give balanced comments - but the comment "On the occasions in which I have gone on other countries threads Ive not seen any of our guys posting any ill comms" - mate England has as many serial pests as other countries. OhhMatty - ring any bells? (Not been seen much lately). There are plenty of others. Oz has two main culprits - with one in particular with a good knack of stirring a hornets nest.

Morad
on April 2, 2012, 11:47 GMT

All teams are suffering playing AWAY series because they have cut their Prep-Period to make way for mindless IPL's and alike....basically...there is too much short-format cricket being squeezed into the players calendar!!

Ranil
on April 2, 2012, 11:22 GMT

Come on Rangana,take another 10 this time too;glad to see another Herath doing so well.
Ranil Herath -Kent

venkat
on April 2, 2012, 11:15 GMT

I support Srilanka...Go for the Killl

Varnendra
on April 2, 2012, 11:06 GMT

Are English too busy to comment? England has lost 4 matches but England did play good cricket. In every match they lost they had clear chances to win. England performed honestly. They tried hard. They bowled fast. Swann spun it a long way. Every English fielder through himself in the field. They truly believed they could win. They wanted to win. But frankly England requires one top batsman comparable to the Sachin of old or Ponting. But England's performance shouldn't be compared to spineless Indian performances. In the England tour India broke on the first day when Zaheer got injured; no fight therafter for the whole series. In the Australian tour India broke on the second day when Siddle bowled Sachin; no fight thereafter for the whole series. It is amazing to see Indian fans implying England is no better than India.

ra
on April 2, 2012, 10:01 GMT

Did anyone truelly accept england as the #1 team in the world....?

John
on April 2, 2012, 9:45 GMT

@Harmony111 on (April 01 2012, 18:20 PM GMT) Thankyou for your charming comments once more. Yes England's batting has been pathetic. It's quite strange these last 2 tours because we have failed big time in the tests , but we beat Pak in the T20 series and most surprising was the fact that we won the OD series vs Pakistan (a fmt in which we are often woeful 4-0). By the way , thanks for all the congratulatory comms from your fans on that one - it's nice that fans are so balanced with criticism and praise. Funny thing was that Pakistan went on to win the Asia cup - you may remember , this was the 4 team tournament which India failed to qualify for the finals in after the 3 team tournament in Oz in which your team got a discounted hotel bill. Please publish ESPN

John
on April 2, 2012, 9:45 GMT

@Gupta.Ankur on (April 02 2012, 08:56 AM GMT) Back again , charming as ever I see.

django
on April 2, 2012, 9:44 GMT

@yorkshirematt I am an Aussie and I have no problem with calling England the current number 1 side in world. Even with their current form. I think you will find the biggest problem is that alot of English fans have been carrying on like pork chops from the moment they got their ranking. There is a difference between a good team (Which England definitely are) and a great team which they are not. England, just like India thought that once they got their ranking they were the best ever.

Valavan
on April 2, 2012, 9:28 GMT

@Gupta.ankur why you are here, where were you when India Vs Australia test series happened. Came to bash England here. . Btw we dont mind about India at all other than we tag up with India for a series. It was Indian fans who flew high before England series and Australia series but in reality got annihilated. Do you know in last 4 tests where England lost, we managed 80 wickets, that means we bowled out opposition 8/8. I cannot remember any recent test series where India bowled out opposition twice in the whole test series. We know we we must adapt to bat well in spinning conditions. Its really hilarious that you speak about England when we saw hapless face of dhoni whining excuses after Australia test series. cricinfo please publish.

Valavan
on April 2, 2012, 9:20 GMT

@Gupta.Ankur and all English bashers. It takes a courage for any team or players to accept their faults. England clearly admitted that their batters didnt perform good as they thought it to be. Will MSD accept so that his players were incompetent out of subcontinent. If all you consider past decade, hopefully you all missed a few series about England, England was ranked 9 in 1999. England had a terrible downhill between 1993 - 2000. Well England still managed to win a series in SL and Pak and drew with India in 2006. Dont forget England won twice in NZ with quite average team in 2008 and 2002, And they won in SA in 2004 with real domination and squared in SA in 2009. England should adapt to play in subcontinent conditions, why you all come and yawn here, even Pakistan supporters who decimated England so recently didnt yawn much as the Indians here who are yawning even after 8 - 0 in tests and ODI upto Asia cup. Grow up england bashers, we need critics not yawns, cricinfo please publish

Varnendra
on April 2, 2012, 9:01 GMT

@Georgie Louise-Game, ha ha good one but Team India always looks like it is on holiday when they play tests. Sure the last Ashes didn't feature a great Australian team but beating Australia in Australia is always difficult. Even when Alan Border was laying foundations for the all conquering team it was not possible for other teams to beat Australia in Australia convincingly. Only the 70s/80s great West Indian sides managed to do it it since Larwood's days. Also don't water down England's performance in 2005. It was so compelling. But unfortunately England can't maintain a heigh level for two series.

Dummy4
on April 2, 2012, 8:58 GMT

Me being a neutral person can only comment "Dear trott if you and your fellow English men don't find their form back then these sins can be converted into hell and we all know its not a good place to be in."

ankur
on April 2, 2012, 8:56 GMT

English are the worst against a particular style of bowling , i.e Spin. No team in history has been so poor consistently decades after decades.

I think people like @mikey76 should atleast now be humble and realize that they wins against India and Aus were more due their opponents fault then their skills.

India has consistently won matches abroad throughout last decade and Eng's dream run began and ended in 8 months.

Matthew
on April 2, 2012, 8:52 GMT

The only way the no.1 debate will get resolved is when we finally have a test championship. Top four teams in the world play each other home and away in a mini league. Impossible to work I know, so therefore we're unlikely to ever know who really is the best, unless we have a truly great team like aus in the late 90s early 00s and the windies in the 80s. That looks a long way off for anyone at the moment though so lets just say no one is no.1, abolish the rankings and just play for the honour of your country again like the old days.

michael
on April 2, 2012, 8:17 GMT

It does make me chuckle seeing all these Indian and Australian fans on here gloating over England's misfortunes as if we stroll around the planet proclaiming ourselves the greatest team on earth. But 3/4 of the test matches this winter were close run affairs where it could have gone either way, the thrashings we handed out to India and Australia were so one sided it makes all your comments look stupid. We still have the best, most balanced bowling unit in the world, and yes our batsmen have been found out against spin but Indian batting was useless against pace and swing and Australian batting....well getting rolled over for 47 and then losing to NZ at home says it all. The only way this stupid No.1 debate gets resolved is when we play SA at home, India away and then the Ashes. Then we'll have a better idea. And this whole South African/English thing is getting old. Most teams now how foreign born nationals playing for them, so change the record, its boring everyone.

Rajul
on April 2, 2012, 7:49 GMT

England, like India, will lose more tests, in simply coming to grips with the shock and stark reality. India, guilty of letting other teams off may not be so generous this time with the English team once they tour India, as the humiliation they suffered in England and Australia may still be rankling them. The 5-0 whitewash of the English team last year, will not be enough for the 4-0 drubbing they received in England, in Tests.

Andrew
on April 2, 2012, 7:30 GMT

Why England have to rely on South African Rejects is beyond me ... KP is from an era when SA battled against spin for the most part ... especially on the sub-continent ... but then in SA the pitches are normally hard and bouncy ... so he has been able to score there ... Look at the county set-up and see who can play what bowling before you select all these guys on what they do at home and in Australia and South Africa ... Once they strike a balance in that regard they will become unbeatable ... but for now they must suffer ... It is like SA in Durban ... they have not won there for some time ... Strauss should step down and let Prior/Trott captain the side ... He is short of runs and needs a burst in County cricket.

Dummy4
on April 2, 2012, 7:20 GMT

true that both eng and ind are not good in all conditions i think sa is more suitable to the no 1 spot

Dummy4
on April 2, 2012, 7:10 GMT

the english batsmen have not been able to tackle the spin duo of randiv and herath and well ajmal and rehman from pakistan. this is the main cause for their poor performance against both sri lanka and pakistan

Aabhas
on April 2, 2012, 6:58 GMT

In the past, Bresnan, Broad and Swann's efforts with the bat have been hiding the collapses in the top and middle orders.

Dummy4
on April 2, 2012, 6:54 GMT

Indians are hopelessly poor against Eng and Aus under livelier pitches. Eng were hopeless against quality spin on spin friendly but not deadly pitches. Both dont deserve to be no. 1. WI team in mid-70s and 80s and Aussie team Mid 90s till Warne - Mcgrath retired were certainly ones above opposition and conditions and were truly no. 1. Cant see any team these days being that.

John
on April 2, 2012, 6:50 GMT

@Jose Puliampatta, Trott is from English stock so English would be his native language. Why do so many people care about his terminology? I might have said "crime" rather than "sin" but either way it's a turn of phrase and not meant to be taken literally. He just means it was really bad, as we all well know.

Dummy4
on April 2, 2012, 6:17 GMT

English team, they just can't play in sub-continent..

Harsha
on April 2, 2012, 6:16 GMT

@landl47 : dream on mate..typical pom to dream high when you have one of the weakest teams to be selected as world no 1 team in recent past due to purly their home record and some beatings to Australia who were on theire way down after big players retired .I feel Sri Lanka also did not perform well in 1 st test.but since England team is so pathetic overseas specially in sub continent Sri Lanka managed to escape.Sri Lanka was a tired side after list of long tours and should be much fresh & confident in the 2 nd test with 1 st test win.I expect sangakkara to score a century and others to chip in and most likely a another win again a spin weak english side who is showing why they should be dethroned from no 1 rank immediately..hops south Africa Gets what they really deserve ..no 1 test ranking in the world..

U
on April 2, 2012, 6:11 GMT

@landl47 - interesting prediction; Eng may beat SL, but not by much. u dont see mahela doing another 180?, well, maybe true, but SL is not one-man-mahela country... we got some other batsmen with names like Sanga and Dilshan ;) if Sanga finds form (consistently one of the best batsman in the last 5 year, always in ICC top 5 test rankings with a penchant for double hundreds) or a muderous Dilshan or an impervious Chandimal; well, the best Eng can then hope for is a draw.... but good luck to everyone, hope its a good contest like the last one

Dummy4
on April 2, 2012, 6:03 GMT

Landl47. If Mahela may not have a repeat show, please note that Trott also may not!

Dummy4
on April 2, 2012, 6:00 GMT

SIN ! That is a strong word. But, please don't put a religious twist to the usage. If he had explained it in his own language (Afrikaans?), he might have explained it with a better term/ phrase. It may not be easy for a foreigner to pick up the "Queen's English" in a 'trot' !

Kavin
on April 2, 2012, 5:55 GMT

ECB and their importer panel can contact me directly, ill arrange you guys some really nice cricketers that plays spin well. You can import them from me and play em along side trott to overcome your "sin". Leme know! 'kay?

narsimha
on April 2, 2012, 5:52 GMT

ADYZALTZMANNHAIR-(2-4-12-00.55AM,GMT) I dont know from where u got these stats, more over percentage is irrelevent when we have stats on this very site indicating who won more matches in AUS, ENG, SA , WI & OVER ALL who perfoprmed better against these teams , exept ENG , where ur team done better than us , in all other places we fared better than u in aus, wi , where as in sa we both won 3 tests each , but in over all we are far ahead with 7 test wins compared to only 3 by pak , in aus we won 5 tests pak 4, in over all we are in lead ,till date pak could not register a series win over wi in wi , where as we done remarkably well in that place , only in eng ,ur team done better than us this may be due to in 80a-90s lot of ur players used to play in counties, that expirience benefitted them , reg our bowling, yes always our bowling let us down ,other wise with those formidable batting line ups , we would have been placed at par with other greats like wi, of 70s-80s-aus ;90s ,

Ashley
on April 2, 2012, 5:45 GMT

I think another issue is that KP is no longer the best batsmen in the English side and I suspect his inflated ego is having problems with that. Trott's innings was superb and watching the others bat around him was like a schoolmaster batting amongst schoolboys. England are a good side but far from a great one. Should be interesting playing the Saffers later this year. Both national anthems will be Die Stem van Suid- Afrika

Dummy4
on April 2, 2012, 5:23 GMT

Overrated poms flying down 2 Earth...

Manesh
on April 2, 2012, 5:17 GMT

so much hyped batting legends proved as just - Fast Track Bullys - Gimme fast and bounce , I will show you. England fans fogot that, they were just an average Test team like any other team who is good at home.

ashok
on April 2, 2012, 5:12 GMT

beating opponent when he is out of form or when injured is no victory... england back to their best ways of loosing... go ahead england, call up kenya and ask them to play a series in thy country to claim back the No1 ranking... Barmy army he he he .. all funny army...

Bryn
on April 2, 2012, 4:49 GMT

englands problem is that they have one of the very worst batting lineups, always have, it got outplayed by pakistans and that is no fluke.

Dummy4
on April 2, 2012, 4:21 GMT

Dhoni would be really smirking at the prospect of hammering the Poms when they travel to India. Unlike Pakistan and Sri Lanka, India, through in transition after the exit of Dravid, are a much stronger batting unit than either of the former. Also the spinners are equally potent as someone like Rangana Herath. Anderson and Broad would be of no use if Sehwag and Gambhir find themselves in good form. With Kohli in the form of his life, I am sure he will try to put it across the english with style and elan, and not to forget, there is God as well. This series might well prove to be the birth of Rohit Sharma, the test batsmen. What better side to prove form than the ones he consistently trashed last year. Also this series might prove a bit about Varun Aaron. With Umesh Yadav having proven his worth, its time Ishant Sharma also fixes his spots and get the wickets column full. Presence of Zaheer Khan, Pragyan Ojha and Ashwin should give enough headaches for the Poms when they arrive here..

Navneet
on April 2, 2012, 3:43 GMT

England need couple of more Saffer recruits and then they should be fine in sub-continent.

Hulk
on April 2, 2012, 3:40 GMT

No.1 hangover is over...England back to their real best now.

Satish
on April 2, 2012, 3:08 GMT

One problem with England's batting is, they are too accustomed to the batting in home conditions.. In spinning conditions, they are never able to get settled as they seemed to get out to any ball.. The only passage where England did well while batting was during Prior-Trott partnership and it is because, they rotated strike very well and scored boundaries too.. Rotating strike is the key.. Even in ODI's against Pakistan, Bopara and Cook had a great time ONLY when they rotated strike well.. Hope for much better performance next game..

Kuldeep
on April 2, 2012, 2:48 GMT

England will be looking to fly home soon from heat and a hopeless position and get in their comfort zone. They lack skills to play spin, simple as that. Herath could take another 10 wickets!

vineet
on April 2, 2012, 2:48 GMT

At this point of time all the test teams are playing their best cricket at home or at the most home conditions[for pakistan ;) ]....south africa's tour of england will b vry crucial 4 them

Dummy4
on April 2, 2012, 2:38 GMT

yes right facts and figures by trott and his company ....

John
on April 2, 2012, 1:51 GMT

Oh well, I'm going to go out on a limb here and say England will crush Sri Lanka in the second test. Mahela played a wonderful innings, 180 out of 318, in the first test, after winning the toss and batting first on a wicket that was always going to get more difficult. All credit to Mahela, but I don't see it happening twice. England showed in Pakistan that they can play in these condidtions when they won 6 out of 7 of the shorter format games. I take England to win the second test comfortably. It won't make this a successful series, because this really isn't a very good Sri Lanka side and England should have won both games, but it will restore the balance somewhat. I don't usually predict individual games, but in this case there's a big gap between the sides and England only need to play to their usual standard to win easily. If I'm wrong, then I'll be happy to come here and admit it.

Dummy4
on April 2, 2012, 1:27 GMT

C'mon who really thought England were that good?.. they beat Australia who @ the time had issues with both there batting & bowling & made poor selections then they beat an weak Indian team, who often looked at times they were just there for a holiday; same thing happened in 2005 after the Ashes, talk was going around how good they were & just like now they did nothing following that series, there just not that good.

Dummy4
on April 2, 2012, 1:12 GMT

"A batting lineup so prolific only a few months ago, is now consistently faltering" ... Trott asks himself. If he finds some good answers, please share it with Indian batsmen, who showed England how to consistently falter after heights .. so soon, so fast, and so consistently.

Ryo
on April 2, 2012, 0:55 GMT

@samincolumbia: lol. You should check the historical stats for countries on cricinfo. Pakistan historically has a FAR BETTER away record than India. Pakistans historical away Test record is 0.68 Indias is 0.37... lol. Pakistan win/loss ratio in Test is MUCH BETTER than Indias. Pakistan is 1.15. Indias is 0.76....lol. And the reason for this is because Pakistan has always had these strange creatures called bowlers who can take 20 wickets in a match. Something which India has had very little of. (Only matches played in home of opposition is counted. Neutral matches are discounted. If neutral matches are counted Pakistans away record increases to 0.75).

Dummy4
on April 2, 2012, 0:49 GMT

A few more SA born players would certainly improve English batting problems. Perhaps they should check the availability of AB? Good luck to both teams tomorrow. This track will have some bounce and pace so the Poms should win.

Dummy4
on April 2, 2012, 0:39 GMT

The fact is that in 2011 England were faced by substandard bowlers- yes even the Australian attack before it discovered Cummins and Pattinson was very ordinary. The less said about the Indian attack the better. Runs were far too easy to gather.

Now that they are up against better bowlers their real quality is coming through.

Ed
on April 2, 2012, 0:39 GMT

Time for KP to get some form in the County leagues, he can take Bell with him too. What will happen is that they'll play a test side that has four fast bowlers (like AUS) and beat them, with Kp and Bell scoring well, and their sins against spin will be forgiven, but come an Asian tour, and it will all happen again. KP and Bell simply can't play spin, they've had years and years to try and combat it, but failed. Time to move on with players who have the skill against spin in Asian conditions.

muhammed
on April 1, 2012, 23:40 GMT

Trott says it's sin..... Him leaving south Africa and using the excuse that he was given a fair chance is a sin.

ranjit
on April 1, 2012, 23:22 GMT

The almighty Aussie team of the yesteryear which steam rolled all other teams and kept a superior performance for about a decade. Now the stage is open. There is no one team that can be called is superior to others. In my opinion except perhaps Zimbabwe all other teams are now well balanced and have a chance of beating the other and are on a equal level. Even Bangladesh had come up along way with reaching the Asia Cup finals recently. England played well a few months ago and is currently riding a low . They will bounce back. It is healthy for world cricket.

Sid
on April 1, 2012, 22:55 GMT

I keep wondering if the problem is not over use of bowling machines.
I often get requests to speed it up and the guys I coach are happy with that.
A few times I've told them that today it's all spin and watch most of them flounder.
The variety bowled by live spinners cannot be replicated by artificial means.
It's a weakness that must be analyzed and remedies sought.

Dummy4
on April 1, 2012, 22:45 GMT

@crystosis - the reason more of England's victories last year lasted for 5 days is that England made huge totals, and batted for 2.5 of those days (often in one innings).

The reason these games aren't lasting 5 days is that England's bowlers are very good, and so the opposing teams aren't getting imposing scores...

... and because England's batsman have shown an disappointing propensity for missing straight balls, or hitting the ball in the air to fielders.

Michael
on April 1, 2012, 22:27 GMT

Playing each ball on its merits is the piece of advice I would pass on to the batsmen. It might even work. It did for Trott.
I still feel let down by not having a game in Kandy along with these two, in spite of the debacle.

anirban
on April 1, 2012, 21:48 GMT

you read my mind GreenGoat...

P
on April 1, 2012, 21:20 GMT

I think England is overly analyzing their failures. India did that too. Part of playing test cricket is to have right frame of mind. This is where lies the problem with all the #1 teams-- the pressure of being #1. No sooner a team becomes #1, there is a barrage of criticism of that team. Everyone starts throwing kitchen sinks at the #1 team. In time it is too much to handle for mere mortals. No need to feel guilty, England. Do not worry too much about #1 status. Go with an attitude that you will regain it if you lose it and you should be fine. Should England lose #1 rank, which looks like certainty, it will have its chance to throw kitchen sinks at SA. Hopefully, in time, all teams will learn to handle these things.

John
on April 1, 2012, 20:27 GMT

@here2rock on (April 01 2012, 13:18 PM GMT) re "Their seamers are without teeth on these wickets" - didn't Jimmy Anderson take 5 for in the 1st inns when the wicket was at it's best for batting? They won't be number 1 if they don't win the 2nd test but if they win - guess what? - we are level at the top with SA. That would be unfortunate wouldn't it?

John
on April 1, 2012, 20:27 GMT

@Herath-UK on (April 01 2012, 15:19 PM GMT) To be fair , although it was a great inns you have a point there. In the 2nd inns most Eng batsmen got set and then got out without really looking threatened by the SL bowling prior to their dismissals.

John
on April 1, 2012, 20:27 GMT

@NomDePlume on (April 01 2012, 16:55 PM GMT - At least a bit of wit here. Reckon you could redo the whole song with new lyrics?

John
on April 1, 2012, 20:26 GMT

@TheEnglandFans The more I think about our fans the more Im proud to be an England fan despite our woeful performances.On the occasions in which I have gone on other countries threads Ive not seen any of our guys posting any ill comms.During the Pak series - where I might add the Pak fans by and large were a pleasure - I never saw one comm blaming pitches,toss or anything other than batting and team selections.When we won the OD series I was also pleased that NEARLY all our fans stayed grounded admitting Pak won the main series Bres/Trem got injured and we all know that both might not have played in the series but we could have sited this as an excuse.MJ won toss in the last game and folk said what a good toss this was to win and bat 1st -still not 1 fan tried this as an excuse.We have been our own harshest critics and we have our debates about players,tactics etc but I feel we've conducted ourselves well on this horror start to 2012 and if we beat SL we go level on pts with SA.

Dummy4
on April 1, 2012, 20:25 GMT

England just aren't that good at the moment. It happens. Sri Lanka last year looked like they could fold to a determined Malta side but they are slowly improving. If England can't be good all the time. And they need time to develop the next generation of SA, Pakistan, Australian expats who will fill their team in the next few years. Its all cyclical.

Shakti
on April 1, 2012, 20:16 GMT

Its extremely odd how the English batsmen are not batting as a unit.They just somehow struggle with consistency in Asia.Alistair Cook got a 90 against Pakistan,Trott got a century at Galle & Matt Prior has been good.England now needs a combined effort from all the batsmen.Samit Patel should be retained,the pitch in Colombo will help him gain some confidence.Australian batsmen were quite effective in Sri Lanka,maybe England need to take some advice from them & not Graham Gooch.The English bowlers have been brilliant,Stuart Broad will be seriously missed.

Mashuq
on April 1, 2012, 19:45 GMT

If 3-0 was "a tightish test series", @phoenixsteve, I'd like to know what a one sided test series is? Perhaps 5-0 like in Flintoff's Ashes 2006-7?

U
on April 1, 2012, 18:48 GMT

agree with jimmy and most of the rest here that there is no real difficulty to "pin down a reason" for the batting woes - its the spin stupid :)

and no, its not a home and away difference; wickets in australia, NZ, SA are kinda similar in behavior to the english ones... so Eng wud not struggle... similarly, if India toured us (SL) or Pak, instead of Eng and Aus, they would have done well and maybe won some tests instead of going 0-8...

Harmon
on April 1, 2012, 18:20 GMT

To all those who say that England are doing better than what Asian teams did on the tour to Eng by producing a false gap of Eng batting till the 4th or 5th day while the Asian teams were folding up inside 4 days need to know that the Asian wickets are known to be FLAT TRACKS while the English wicktes are known to be GREEN TRACKS. Naturally, any team would score more runs on FLAT TRACKS than on GREEN TRACKS and so the test match would last for a longer duration. What is inexplicable is that the so called 10 year #1 Team's batsmen just can't score even half the no of runs they were scoring in their home conditions esp since these wickets are usually condescendingly called as BATSMEN'S PARADISE. The Goochs, Bothams, Flowers, Hussains, Vaughns, Greigs et al need to show their faces and come up with an explanation for this steep decline. It can't be just a co-incidence. Note that this time they lost to a tired unprepared SL team that lost 3-0 in the Asia Cup. Or is Eng that pathetic a team?

Prashant
on April 1, 2012, 17:38 GMT

Who's only a backyard bully now?

Dummy4
on April 1, 2012, 17:14 GMT

I just find it so ironic that the boy from Cape Town is the only 'Englishman' to apply himself in a Test Match sense. So much for the English stoic character!

Venkat
on April 1, 2012, 16:55 GMT

Batting against good quality spinners in spin friendly conditions requires certain intelligence and brain. Whereas batting against pace just needs a bit of practice and courage. Intelligence and brain - one has to be born with, practice and courage can be inculcated....Therefore, will England continue to struggle against spin, now and in future - Absolutely Yes. Will India work out their weaknesses against pace - Abolustely Yes...will happen in the near future.

Romulus
on April 1, 2012, 16:55 GMT

With apologies to Pet Shop Boys (Its a sin), this is Trott's lament: So I look back upon SL/Pak tour, forever with a sense of shame, we batsmen always been the one to blame...for every sweep I tried to do, no matter when or where or who, has one thing in common, too....its a sin!!!

David
on April 1, 2012, 16:28 GMT

A number of people have commented that England cannot play away from home. This is not true as they beat Australia 3-1 away from home only a year ago. Australian conditions are very different from English conditions, but England were able to adapt. I would back England to adapt again in Sri Lanka and later in India on the slow turners. Indeed there were signs that they were attempting to do that in the last test with a more aggressive batting approach. I do not believe they are far away from getting it right. The difference between England playing test cricket away from home and India playing test cricket away from home is that England care deeply when they lose.

Tuan
on April 1, 2012, 16:22 GMT

all players like the familiar conditions which they have grown & suit their bating styles. that is why home advantage is a big factor in winning matches. when computing the points for ranks, ICC should give more weight to a visiting team rather than a home team.
by this, a team would know unless they play good cricket outside their home soil, they cannot reach the top of the table; and playing & winning many matches in your own backyard does not serve the purpose to reach the top of the table....

Willy
on April 1, 2012, 16:19 GMT

GoCho, please do check that many England matches did not make 5 days, even the SL match. And there was one that finished in 3 days. You guys made hay at home and homelike conditions. Let us see how good this team is

Rizwan
on April 1, 2012, 16:07 GMT

England's woeful performance against Pakistan & now Sri Lanka puts everything into perspective. Indian test bowling attack could be the very worst among all. Also the quality of the Australian attack was nowhere the same level as of now during last ashes series.

ian
on April 1, 2012, 15:48 GMT

Trott's use of 'sinful' to describe England recent irresponsible batting is funny in both the ha!ha! sense & in a weird way too. I can see what he's getting at - he wanted to use a word to stress how deeply he feels about England's current batting woes, and sinful does, indeed, have a sledgehammer's force behind it. It's good copy for sure - and takes us into a spiritual realm - which no one else had thought of - but I'd hate to think of the England batsmen trekking (Afrikaans word - quite appropriate) to Canterbury (or Rome, in case someone's offended) barefoot & wearing sackcloth & daubed with ashes (there's another word that needs handling with care!) in lieu of playing the Windies! You have to give JT credit. His whole demeanour and attitude are exemplary. He's not the tweeter; he's not the egoist; he applies himself to greater effect than others. He just walks the walk, no showy stuff- and he has steel in his cricketing soul! Would that others took note and followed his example.

Steve
on April 1, 2012, 15:41 GMT

Interesting comments from Trott which may not have come had he not achieved a "mummy' ton? Fact is that the England batsmen are out of form and thus out of confidence. Surely these professional sportsmen are not that worried by a critical media? Comments that England can't play away are ridiculous. Maybe they currently have a problem with spin though, as the India and Pakistan away games were problematic? However "away" in Australia saw them at their finest and although the Aussie side is substandard, when was the last time India, Pakistan or Sri Lanka won a series in Australia? In short, England need to get better against spin and all these sub-continent cricket fans need to be realistic. India beat England in a 5 day ODI series, Pakistan won a tightish test series and Sri lanka are 1 up with 1 to play? It not over til the fat lady sings and England are more than capable of beating Sri Lanka in Colombo. COME ON ENGLAND!!!

Ranil
on April 1, 2012, 15:19 GMT

In fact Trott should take the brunt of the criticism as he was the one well set and going well but could not finish the job for the team;was he got so releived himself inside that he made a century,the team objective disappeared for a time?Both Jayawardenes did excellent accumulation with the tail but you in spite of having good support from the other end capitulated unable to absorb the pressure;Come on Trott your main sin is you did not finish the job ,I think.
Ranil Herath - Kent

John
on April 1, 2012, 15:16 GMT

... They looked to try some different things in the second innings, which is a good sign, but they have dug a big hole for themselves that they couldn't get out of so quickly. They weren't as defensive, nay negative, as previously but some of the aggression seemed a bit desperate and there were far too many premeditated shots. They need to keep it simple: play each ball on its merits, as they would at home. Also, they need to get forward to the spinners far more often. If the ball is going to keep lower in the subcontinent then that means going forward to balls that you might otherwise play back to. Playing more forward and more straight. Sweep when it's there to be swept but three players in the match LBW trying to sweep balls that should not have been swept is too many. At least there were fewer LBWs on the back foot in the second innings, so I see that as progress at least.

John
on April 1, 2012, 15:11 GMT

There's no doubt that England have an issue playing spin outside of their home conditions. They are putting on a positive face, as all sportsmen and sporting teams do, but there's no doubt that they think that they have a problem too. I think that that is itself part of the problem. I'm sure that it's more easily said than done but if they had just played naturally from the outset in UAE then I think things would have been much better. They kept talking about how it was going to be "attritional" cricket in subcontinent conditions and I think that they talked themselves into believing that they had to dig in and concentrate on keeping the bowlers out and the runs would come in time. Well, that backfired in UAE. They went in with a plan and were not prepared to change it even though it wasn't working. The plan didn't seem to change much for the first innings in Galle and failed again. To be continued...

Matthew
on April 1, 2012, 15:11 GMT

All very valid points. England do have a problem against spin everyone knows that including the players (I hope they know it anyway). But seriously, do you really think they're going to admit it two days before a critical second test?

Dru
on April 1, 2012, 14:48 GMT

For the umpteenth time there really would be no mystery or searching for reasons or asking forgiveness for the sins - this has always been the case. The problem is the English media, fans, comentators and players keep ridiculing SL (or Asian) players when they struggle in Eng. Then when its Eng turn to tour and the inevitable occurs, one needs to ask for forgiveness and look for reasons and solve mysteries. Wake up guys - just be humble when you succeed and accept that players from overseas will strugle in unfamilar conditions and there would be no need for complicated explanations.

Barnsley
on April 1, 2012, 14:37 GMT

what trott really meant to say, was that its a sin to allow a bowler to bowl an entire over of spin.

Dummy4
on April 1, 2012, 14:33 GMT

Well said doosra_inventor: The answer is SIMPLE, England cannot play outside their home like India. Pakistan haven't been able to play at their home after 2009. But still their winning % is higher than all the teams. I feel sorry for England, Sri Lanka played their normal cricket(neither good nor bad) but it was enough for England. What would have happened to England if their bowling hadn't been good?

I
on April 1, 2012, 14:26 GMT

Hilarious... "struggled to pin down a reason" - try the fact that mediocre batsman made hay against declining sides for the last 2 years. The first time they've had any competition against teams without a homefield advantage, England have been found out horribly.

Ashok
on April 1, 2012, 14:26 GMT

Only when a team batting is in a slump do the players question their tactics. How frustrating it was for Indian top line up to fail against both England & Australia away from home? Yet the Indian top 5 batsmen are, arguably, the best in the world - Sehwag, Gambhir, Dravid, Tendulkar & Laxman. It requires at least 2 batsmen to remain in form & score heavily to make up for the rest.Of course when the top batsmen are down,the Media, cricket Pundits & armchair critics start their attacks. So already depressed batsmen have only one way to answer by performing.Indian Batsmen fell fishing for balls outside the off stump both against England & Aussie seamers. These were the very same balls being dispatched to boundaries on the Indian pitches. The pitch & bounce did them in! The same applies to England batsmen who excel on swinging & bouncy conditions. But on slow spinners wicket the batting technique is different.
The Key is adaptability & patience -those who adapt, score, Mr. Trott!

Sammy
on April 1, 2012, 14:26 GMT

That's a pretty big statement from Trott - saying that the #1 team cannot bat!! Hope he does not get flak from the poms...lol!!

@Doosra - India has a better away record than Pakistan - and India gets to actually play at home!

Cricinfouser
on April 1, 2012, 14:20 GMT

Are there any surprises here? England plays well at home, struggles in the sub-continent. Ofcourse, when India were going through the same phase, the media appears a lot more harsher. Let's call for Strauss's head now, that he has not performed in ages. Not sure how old he is, but shouldn't he retire by these standards?!!

Karthik
on April 1, 2012, 14:08 GMT

What a bunch of funny comments here!! To all you guys who claim England cannot win outside home, they have done exceedingly well in Australia and south africa. Its only the subcontinent dust bowls that they are yet to master. Even Steve Waugh's side needed a couple of visits before they could overcome the final frontier. And just to refresh your memories, England have gone in to the last day of all these test matches in UAE and SL with a chance of winning. Unlike India in England and Australia where we were thrashed so badly it was frankly embarassing.

Owais
on April 1, 2012, 14:06 GMT

I think its about lack of confidence since the first innings in Dubai where English batsmen were mesmerized by doosra.

Michael
on April 1, 2012, 13:52 GMT

England touring parties have so many specialist staff accompanying them these days, it's only a surprise they haven't arranged to have a Catholic priest with them this winter, to enable the batsmen to confess all of their "sins". Well Trott did get a hundred but I think he's whinging a bit (on Strauss's behalf) about the media getting on Strauss's back. Anyone can see that a specialist batsman who has made one century in his last 29 tests is struggling a bit, and no-one needs "the media" to point that out. It was once said that a politician complaining about the media was like a ship's captain complaining about the sea, and perhaps that should also apply to Trott; there's no point complaining about it, mate, you just have to deal with the reality.

Abdul
on April 1, 2012, 13:35 GMT

U must simply admit that Sri lanka played better cricket than u...like india u cant play out of ur home..

gujjar
on April 1, 2012, 13:35 GMT

No doubt should remain after the II test about England being a world class, one of its kind, Green toP buLLy

Kuldeep
on April 1, 2012, 13:18 GMT

Egnland can not play spin and their seamers are wihout teeth on these wickets. Their seamers enjoy easier cooler condition when the wickers are slippery and juicy. It will be 2-0 to Sri Lanka and 5th consecutive loss to the number 1 side the world! They are not number 1, they can only play at home!

Hassaan
on April 1, 2012, 13:02 GMT

"struggled to pin down a reason why a batting line-up that was so prolific only a few months ago is now struggling to compete." Ummm could it be because a few months back you were playing at home and now you're playing on slow subcontinental wickets

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Hassaan
on April 1, 2012, 13:02 GMT

"struggled to pin down a reason why a batting line-up that was so prolific only a few months ago is now struggling to compete." Ummm could it be because a few months back you were playing at home and now you're playing on slow subcontinental wickets

Kuldeep
on April 1, 2012, 13:18 GMT

Egnland can not play spin and their seamers are wihout teeth on these wickets. Their seamers enjoy easier cooler condition when the wickers are slippery and juicy. It will be 2-0 to Sri Lanka and 5th consecutive loss to the number 1 side the world! They are not number 1, they can only play at home!

gujjar
on April 1, 2012, 13:35 GMT

No doubt should remain after the II test about England being a world class, one of its kind, Green toP buLLy

Abdul
on April 1, 2012, 13:35 GMT

U must simply admit that Sri lanka played better cricket than u...like india u cant play out of ur home..

Michael
on April 1, 2012, 13:52 GMT

England touring parties have so many specialist staff accompanying them these days, it's only a surprise they haven't arranged to have a Catholic priest with them this winter, to enable the batsmen to confess all of their "sins". Well Trott did get a hundred but I think he's whinging a bit (on Strauss's behalf) about the media getting on Strauss's back. Anyone can see that a specialist batsman who has made one century in his last 29 tests is struggling a bit, and no-one needs "the media" to point that out. It was once said that a politician complaining about the media was like a ship's captain complaining about the sea, and perhaps that should also apply to Trott; there's no point complaining about it, mate, you just have to deal with the reality.

Owais
on April 1, 2012, 14:06 GMT

I think its about lack of confidence since the first innings in Dubai where English batsmen were mesmerized by doosra.

Karthik
on April 1, 2012, 14:08 GMT

What a bunch of funny comments here!! To all you guys who claim England cannot win outside home, they have done exceedingly well in Australia and south africa. Its only the subcontinent dust bowls that they are yet to master. Even Steve Waugh's side needed a couple of visits before they could overcome the final frontier. And just to refresh your memories, England have gone in to the last day of all these test matches in UAE and SL with a chance of winning. Unlike India in England and Australia where we were thrashed so badly it was frankly embarassing.

Cricinfouser
on April 1, 2012, 14:20 GMT

Are there any surprises here? England plays well at home, struggles in the sub-continent. Ofcourse, when India were going through the same phase, the media appears a lot more harsher. Let's call for Strauss's head now, that he has not performed in ages. Not sure how old he is, but shouldn't he retire by these standards?!!

Sammy
on April 1, 2012, 14:26 GMT

That's a pretty big statement from Trott - saying that the #1 team cannot bat!! Hope he does not get flak from the poms...lol!!

@Doosra - India has a better away record than Pakistan - and India gets to actually play at home!

Ashok
on April 1, 2012, 14:26 GMT

Only when a team batting is in a slump do the players question their tactics. How frustrating it was for Indian top line up to fail against both England & Australia away from home? Yet the Indian top 5 batsmen are, arguably, the best in the world - Sehwag, Gambhir, Dravid, Tendulkar & Laxman. It requires at least 2 batsmen to remain in form & score heavily to make up for the rest.Of course when the top batsmen are down,the Media, cricket Pundits & armchair critics start their attacks. So already depressed batsmen have only one way to answer by performing.Indian Batsmen fell fishing for balls outside the off stump both against England & Aussie seamers. These were the very same balls being dispatched to boundaries on the Indian pitches. The pitch & bounce did them in! The same applies to England batsmen who excel on swinging & bouncy conditions. But on slow spinners wicket the batting technique is different.
The Key is adaptability & patience -those who adapt, score, Mr. Trott!

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